University of Houston System Mission and Goals

Mission

The University of Houston System provides, through the complementary missions of its four universities, access to comprehensive higher education programs and services to the diverse community of students in the Houston metropolitan area and beyond. The UH System's research and scholarship are globally significant, nationally competitive, and serve as an engine for economic development, while its public service activities enhance the quality of life in the region.

UH System Goals:

National Competitiveness

The City of Houston (and the Greater Houston Region) will be known for having one of the best and most diverse metropolitan systems of higher education in the nation.

Each university within the UH System will benchmark itself nationally for excellence within the context of its unique mission.

Student Success

The UH System will commit to providing access to the people of the Greater Houston Region and the state.

Each university within the UH System will make student success its top priority and will hold itself publicly accountable for achieving this goal.

The UH System will help students identify the UHS university that best serves their needs and academic goals, so that they are not lost to the UH System or to higher education. Furthermore, pathways will be developed for transfers between campuses and admissions to graduate programs.

Community Advancement

The UH System will be the engine of social and economic advancement of the metropolitan region and the state.

Each university within the UH System will engage with its community and will hold itself publicly accountable for contributing toward community advancement.

University of Houston System Principles

Principle 1: The whole of the UH System should be greater than the sum of its parts.

Principle 2: The UH System should provide access to the people of Houston throughout the Houston metropolitan region, making that access as convenient as is academically and financially possible.

Principle 3: The UH System's institutions should be the primary providers of educational access in the Houston metropolitan region. However, they should seek partnerships with other institutions when it benefits students and when it is naturally advantageous.

Principle 4: The UH System should establish some distinctive mission differentiation among its institutions, while still enabling them to serve the needs of their region.

Principle 5: The UH System management structure should be as simple as is possible and should ensure clarity of responsibility and accountability.

Principle 6: The UH System should be strategic about its enrollment growth and intentional about its tuition and other financial strategies.

Principle 7: The UH System should ensure a standard of excellence throughout its institutions, while recognizing differences in student populations and missions.

Principle 8: The UH System should have a clear nomenclature that will enhance international, national, state, and regional marketing and branding.

Principle 9: The UH System should maximize opportunities for both its faculty and students to benefit from being within a system.